Jillian Chantal

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt slow. I’m working on the same story as the last weeks. Our heroine and hero are in his car driving toward her house.

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“So what’s the next step then?”

“I have a ton of reports to read through from all those witness statements taken by uniformed officers last night. Can take you home.”

“Might as well. Aneto probably would like a walk and the afternoon parade should already be underway so we should have a clear path past Garden Street.”

“Glad you reminded me about the parade. I’d normally turn on Palafox to get to your house and we’ll need to go on past there to Alcaniz.”

“That’s actually the way I’d go to my house. More of straight shot.”

“Not from Cervantes.”

Lu shook her head. “You go ahead and tell yourself that.”

He grinned over at her. “I like Palafox as it’s straight down and one turn. Your way is more convoluted.”

“Let’s just agree to disagree.”

Malcolm drove on and they were soon where Mobile Highway and Cervantes Street merged. “I swear, people drive crazy on this stretch of road. It’s a thirty-five zone and not one car out here is going that speed.”

“Including you.” Lu laughed.

“Going with the flow here.”

“Flip on that dashboard light and see how fast they slow down.”

“Tempting, but no. If I do that, I’ll have to pull at least one over. Last week, an officer flipped his basically to get out of a traffic jam and someone reported him. He got a reprimand.”

“Well, I have to say I agree with that. No one who is in a position of authority should abuse it that way. Especially since regular people like me still have to sit in traffic.”

Malcolm’s phone rang. He pushed the button from the cradle where the phone sat in order to answer hands free. “Godfrey.”

“Malcolm, it’s Chris. We have another body.”

Malcolm’s face went white. “Same as the others?”

“Yeah. Exactly. Beads and Moon Pies as well as garroting.”

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt, heart. I am still in the same story as I’ve been working on forever.

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Lu stood and took her cup to the sink, wracking her brain for where else they celebrated the day before Lent began.

She snapped her fingers. “I think Venice. I seem to recall they have a big to-do there.”

She returned to her lap top but before she could finish putting on the search for holidays in Venice, her phone rang.

When she saw it was Malcolm, she accepted the call. “Are you ready for me to bring your car to the station?”

“Yeah. I told Mom I’d be home in an hour. She was getting ready to cook for the girls but I told her I’d take them out for pizza since I missed most of the day with them. I figured you can get me and we’ll all eat together before we bring you back to your house.” He cleared his throat. “Unless you’ve already eaten.”

“No. I haven’t. I had some cocoa I let get cold and hot pizza sounds pretty good. Do you think Magdalena and Violet will mind me horning in on their dad time?”

“They love having you around, so I think that’s a no.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “All right then. I’ll be there shortly.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Has Chris left the station?”

“Not yet, but he’s putting on his coat. He and one of the new trainee officers are going to speak to this Brandon’s family. He had his ID in his wallet, but we had a hard time finding a relative. His last name is different than his next of kin.”

Lu pulled her own coat on. “I’m on my way. You can tell me how you found them when I get there.”

“That’s my girl. No taking on the cell phone while driving.”

Him calling her his girl made her heart leap.

This week the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt child. I am still in the same story I’ve been working on.

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Back at Lu’s house, after letting Aneto out, she sat in her favorite chair with a cup of cocoa to try to warm up. Malcolm had been right. She was frozen through after standing outside with Brandon’s spirit.

Jackson hovered nearby. “I visited with a few of my friends in St. John’s cemetery and in the city. The last one I met with was a free woman of color who used to live close to “C” Street and near the place where the latest young man was found. Her house is gone now and she is not remembered much in this city, but she was the mother of a young girl who had an English father who took the child to England when she was small to live with his family. The child and mother were both from an island in the Caribbean Sea and the father met the mother when he was in port there.

The grandfather of the child was an important Member of Parliament and was instrumental in ending the slave trade in their country. The girl grew up as a ward of her grandfather.

“I might know about this girl. It seems like there was a movie a few years ago about her and that there is a portrait of her in the National Gallery in England. Was her name Belle?”

Jackson waved his hand in the air. “That I do not recall. I shall ask her mother when I see her again, but the important thing is, the mother saw something that might assist your detective.”

Lu leaned forward, eager and excited. “Did she see who did it?”

“Not quite, but she did see that the person was not very tall and was thin, but strong. She also said when the young man was being garroted, he put up a fight and kicked back several times, making contact with the person’s shin bones. She believes there may be bruising there as once the man was on the ground and the murderer placed the necklaces and cakes around the body, the person limped away as if their legs were sore.” Jackson shrugged. “Perhaps that will help aid the detective’s search or if he locates the person soon, he or she will still be limping.”

“I hate that she witnessed the young man’s death and couldn’t come to his aid, but I’m glad she saw what she did as far as giving us something to go on. It sounds like it could even be a woman who did this. Thin and not too tall.”

“Or it could be a slight man who has worked on a ship or some type of occupation that requires strong arms.”

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt Silly. I am still in the same story even though I missed the last two weeks updating.

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Malcolm came with Magdalena and Violet to pick up Lu and Aneto. They drove to Gregory Street to park near the library so they could walk to where the first turn of the parade was. That way they could leave when all the floats and walkers passed that corner without much trouble since the parade would continue for about two miles after that turn. They could be off and away before traffic got crazy.

When they pulled into a spot on the street near the library, Violet bounced in her car seat and said, “We going to get books, Daddy? I love books.”

“No, silly. It’s night-time and they close in the night. Daddy said we’re going to see some pirates. They’ll throw us some candy and toys.” Magdalena tossed her hands in the air. “We have to catch them like this. Some will throw pretty necklaces we can use to play dress up.”

Violet tapped her chin. “Daddy?”

Malcolm turned to face her. “Yes?”

“I thought you always said not to take candy from strangers. I’m sure these pirate people will be strangers.” She darted a glance at her sister. “Or is this like Halloween where we don’t listen to what Daddy says?”

“It was all Lu could do not to laugh. Violet was so intent and serious about the conversation she knew the child might get upset if she was laughed at.

“We always should listen to Daddy, but when he takes us places like this, he must think it’s safe.” Magdalena looked over at her father. “Isn’t that right?”

“Right.” He nodded once. “Let’s get out and find a good spot to stand.”

As they passed the Victorian Bed and Breakfast on the corner, Lu waved at the spirit of the dead sea captain who built the house in the 1800s and never left. He still enjoyed a cigar in the parlor or on the front veranda. He was out there now and waved back.

Magdalena gave Lu an odd look. “Who did you wave to?”

“Someone who was on the porch. I thought I knew him.”

“There’s no one there.” Magdalena frowned. “I didn’t see anyone.”

“He must’ve been going back inside.” Lu hated to lie to the girl, but she couldn’t very well tell her that the person she waved to was long dead.

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